Overview

C64combo.jpg

Does anyone remember the Commodore 64 computer that came out in 1982 and blasted all other computer competition out of its way? Yeah, me either. But it did.

The Commodore 64 costed $595, had 64 kilobytes of memory (wow!), and surpassed all other computers with its amazing graphics and sound capabilities. It sold over 17 million systems by 1993, which according to oldcomputers.com is more than any other computer to this day.
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look at those graphics- 16 whole colors!

If you missed out on this honking keyboard looking mondo computer thing, do not fret! It's making a comeback. Barry Altman, president and chief executive of Commodore USA is looking to revive the trend of having an "all-in-one" computer; keyboard, memory, etc. etc.

The new Commodore 64 is going to be more pimped out than any of the cars on Pimp My Ride, although the same concept exists. In the same physical computer frame, the new Commodore USA is going to be equipped with a 1.8 gigahertz dual-core processor, a Blu-ray player, and built-in ethernet and HDMI ports. It will also have the ability to run the Linux operating system or Windows.

WHAT? Is it going to be sold at Urban Outfitters next to all the record players?

The desire for retro looking things has pervaded computer designers. Instead of white, sleek, and shiny computers, people are trying to market chunky, heavy, brown blobs that literally look almost identical to the ones sold in 1982. Is this a move back to a more simple time of computing when games consisted of asteroids and word processing was advanced? Probably not. These computers, although disguised as old fashioned, carry with them the ability to unleash modern computer death and destruction on the soul. But they're retro.

One concern I have for these computers is their ability to fight with laptops for the all-in-one gold medal. Laptops are already replacing desktops in popularity among young people and contain everything anyone needs in a computer. Altman may have underestimated laptops and their role in filling the all-in-one hole that was supposedly left behind in the 1980s. Unfortunately for him, this seems not to be the case.

Either way, I guess they are kind of cool. But I wouldn't buy one.

http://oldcomputers.net/c64.html
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/the-new-commodore-64-updated-with-its-old-exterior/




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